1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to energetic compositions, and particularly to formulations to control the sensitivity of the compositions to shock.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The unintentional detonation of explosives and energetic compositions in general can result from a variety of causes and has led to catastrophes, both in military and industrial use. Prominent among the causes of unintentional detonation is the high sensitivity of these compositions to physical shock. A reduction of this sensitivity is needed for the safe processing of the explosives and also for achieving energetic compositions that can be classified under Class 1.3 (“mass fire”) rather than Class 1.1 (mass detonable). Reduced sensitivity is also of value in the development of munitions that comply with the requirements for insensitive munitions (IM) and insensitive high explosives (THE).
Among the formulations that have been developed to combine high performance with low sensitivity to meet IM and IHE standards are melt-cast and pour-castable explosives and explosives combined with polymeric binders. The usefulness of melt-cast and pour-castable compositions is limited, however, by various factors, one of which is the limited degree to which these compositions actually reduce the shock sensitivity of the explosives, and another is the loss of the desensitizing additives by sublimation at the elevated temperatures at which the rocket motors in which the explosives are used operate or at which they age, or both. This invention addresses these problems.